Biden discusses groundbreaking plans, says he’s confident Congress will pass COVID relief bills



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President-elect Joe Biden called the disappointing November jobs report “grim” but said if Congress acts now “we can regain momentum.” At a press conference in Wilmington on Friday, Mr Biden expressed optimism about the possibility of a bipartisan Congressional deal on a near-term COVID economic relief bill – as well as a more ambitious measure a times in function. And he also envisioned his next inauguration and how it will differ from those of the past.

Mr Biden said he was confident “there are a sufficient number of Democrats and Republicans” in Congress “to put together a serious package that will keep us from getting off the edge here.” He acknowledged that “it won’t satisfy everyone, but the option is if you insist on everything, we probably won’t get anything on both sides.”

But he also stressed that a short-term measure “is not the end of the deal” and called the currently negotiated package a “down payment”, although he did not specify what else. could be negotiated.

Although a new $ 1,200 stimulus payment for Americans is not currently included in the bipartisan $ 900 billion proposal introduced this week, Mr Biden said: “I think it would be better if they had the 1200 dollars “and said he understood to play.” However, he moved to stress that “the whole point of this” is to make sure that people don’t get kicked out and can continue to have insurance- unemployment to help them feed their families, as a number of programs to help struggling Americans are due to end without Congress action this month.


Biden “confident” in bipartisan stimulus deal …

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The president-elect declined to say whether he had spoken to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, but wanted to point out that he has already negotiated with him.

“He knows me. He knows I’m straight like an arrow, and I can negotiate. He knows I’m keeping my promises,” Biden said. “And I never try to embarrass the opposition.”

“We have to take the vitriol out of politics,” he said. And he reminded reporters of his philosophy that it is “always appropriate to question the judgment of another man or woman, but never their motive.” Once you question their motive, then, in fact, there is no way to ‘go’.

Hiring in the United States slowed down sharply last month as the coronavirus hit the economy. Employers created 245,000 jobs in November – the slowest pace of monthly job growth since April and about half of what economists expected. Payroll gains last month showed a sharp drop from the 610,000 jobs added in October and 710,000 in September. The country’s unemployment rate, which has steadily declined since peaking at nearly 15% in April, has fallen to 6.7%. But it fell for the wrong reason: 400,000 people stopped looking for work, which meant they were no longer considered unemployed.

Mr Biden was also asked what his inauguration will look like, as the COVID pandemic shows no signs of slowing down in the cold winter months. He said he plans to follow the recommendations of scientific experts to keep people safe.


Biden on groundbreaking plans amid pandemic

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“It is highly unlikely that we have a million people in the mall all the way to the (Lincoln) memorial,” the president-elect said. And there “probably won’t be a gigantic inaugural parade on Pennsylvania Avenue.” There would be, he hoped, “a lot of virtual activity in states all over America, engaging even more people than ever before.”

He said there would be talks with the House and Senate, but speculated it would look more like the socially distant Democratic convention than a typical inauguration. Mr Biden said he wished Americans could “celebrate and see themselves celebrated.”

“People want to be able to say ‘we’ve passed the baton. We move forward. Democracy works, “Biden said, adding that much of the celebration” will have to be more imaginative. “

–Irina Ivanova of CBS News contributed to this report.

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